Year of the Dog 2018 Yiwu Raw Puer

A contemporary classic, this proper Yiwu village raw puer is one of the best examples of a quality tea that fits any budget and that any level of drinker can appreciate.

Formerly known as our Year of the Rooster and Year of the Monkey, this tea is made from the same material as the aforementioned cakes and features a typical Yiwu fragrance, backed by a smooth honey-like sweetness. We highly recommend this tea for both beginner and experienced drinkers alike as its gentle and non-abrasive character make it easy to accept, while the depth and flavour will please any Yiwu fan. This tea also makes a good candidate for both drinking now and storing for the future.

The material for this tea comes from former terrace trees that have been converted to fangyang (放养, lit. “left to grow”) land for the last decade. This type of faming is free of fertilizer, pesticides, weed killers (weeding is completed by hand over the course of a month), pruning and over-picking (harvest is limited to Spring only).

These trees do require a sacrifice on the part of the farmer, as they have a lower yield without the use of synthetic fertilizer, are taller and more difficult to pick, require significantly more space to grow, and are susceptible to pests. In some cases, trees have ended up dying without the aid of conventional farming techniques, have been choked out as they continue to grow without pruning, or were unable to survive being transplanted to more spacious areas. However, much of the rest of the trees in the area have flourished.

This is the most desirable style of farming in our eyes, as it enables the trees to develop deeper roots, minimizes excessive growth (and therefore diluted flavour), as well as means the trees are clean and free of any harmful substances. As such, this tea has been lab tested for traces of 440+ pesticides, of which none exceed the EU Maximum Residue Limit (MRL), let alone the detectable limit. For a copy of the lab report and details, please contact us.

The wrapper for this year’s cake was designed by Jason Wasserman. We highly recommend you check out this talented Montreal based artist’s work here and be sure to follow him on Instagram as well.